Rep. Dan Crenshaw listened to Bill Maher’s argument about the President’s response to the coronavirus crisis, and promptly chewed it up and spit it out.
The Texas Republican appeared on Maher’s HBO show “Real Time” when the host attempted to argue that Trump and his administration had been “passing the buck” as the pandemic was beginning to threaten America.
Maher began by suggesting Trump ignored warnings in January.
Crenshaw Crushed It
Crenshaw countered Maher’s argument by noting that within days “he [Trump] implemented a restrictive travel ban from China which he was widely criticized for.”
He also reminded Maher that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democrat caucus were actively pursuing the ‘No Ban Act‘ which was designed to restrict the President’s authority in implementing new travel bans.
That’s when the HBO comedian tried to throw Crenshaw a curveball by noting not everyone was restricted from entering the United States.
“He lies about that,” Maher said. “He said he stopped people coming in from China and he did not.”
Crenshaw didn’t miss a beat in taking that point completely apart.
Bill Maher gets REKT without the high production spell that is Hollywood. No phony studio audience to save him. Great job by @DanCrenshawTX. pic.twitter.com/FWBgGsYJnO
— Austen Fletcher (@fleccas) April 19, 2020
RELATED: Rep Dan Crenshaw Lights Hillary Clinton Up Over Her Latest Attack on Trump
Maher Agrees With Trump?
“Look, let me address that,” Crenshaw interjected, gladly addressing the travel ban not applying to everybody because it was American citizens they were letting back in.
“U.S. citizens,” Crenshaw explained, adding, “So you have to make the argument then that we shouldn’t allow them in.”
He then turned the argument a full 180 degrees back squarely on Maher.
“It sounds to me like you’re fully agreeing with President Trump on this when everybody else disagreed with him,” Crenshaw hit back, prompting Maher’s face to sour at the thought.
“And if you’re saying that you wish that travel restriction had been more extreme, okay fine, you apparently had the foresight when nobody else did,” added the GOP Representative.
“The fact is that if Joe Biden was in charge at that moment, he’s already said he wouldn’t have done it, he criticized it at the time. Nancy Pelosi actually proposed legislation to stop it.”
I gotta admit: @dancrenshaw has more tools in his kit than an entire Home Depot. a seamless performance. https://t.co/BMKE1TyoGi
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) April 19, 2020
RELATED: Coronavirus Fears Spread – Democrats Respond By Trying To Restrict Trump’s Travel Bans
Worse Under Biden
Crenshaw makes an important point, noting Biden would have allowed travel to remain unchecked, resulting in the virus being spread at a proportionately greater rate had he been in charge.
The Democrat nominee for President was arguing as late as March that travel bans do not help stop a pandemic.
“A wall will not stop the coronavirus,” Biden argued. “Banning all travel from Europe – or any other part of the world – will not stop it.”
A wall will not stop the coronavirus.
Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it.
This disease could impact every nation and any person on the planet — and we need a plan to combat it.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 13, 2020
“First, walls quite literally stop a virus. It’s kind of the whole point of a quarantine, for instance,” Crenshaw responded at the time.
“Second, assuming you meant this metaphorically, health experts like Dr. Fauci and everyone else agree travel restrictions have vastly slowed the spread of the virus in the US.”
What Would Maher Have Proposed?
Maher continued by arguing more could have been done by the Trump administration in February.
“You keep calling February this lost month, it’s really not,” Crenshaw replied. “It’s just an easy, cheap accusation because there’s no big bold moves taken like there was in January or like there was in March.
He noted that the government was working on getting testing up and running, something Crenshaw admits should have been done faster.
BRILLIANT, A MUST WATCH! @RepDanCrenshaw pic.twitter.com/W6pGsJQ2ua
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2020
Crenshaw pointed out that as of March 3rd, there were still only 100 coronavirus cases in the United States and that Americans weren’t going to accept a lockdown at that point.
